30 Amazing and Interesting Facts about Cholesterol | Amazing Facts 4U
- Cholesterol is a type of lipid (fat) that is essential for all animal life but in the right amounts. It helps to make the outer coating of cells, makes up the bile acids that digest food, and allows the body to make Vitamin D and hormones, such as testosterone in men and estrogen in women. Cholesterol is important for an embryo’s healthy development.
- Cholesterol protects the integrity of cell membranes keeping cells healthy. If there was no cholesterol, cell membranes would be dry and cracked and all the cell content would leak out.
- Francois Pelletier de la Salle first discovered cholesterol in solid form in gallstones in 1769. It was named “cholesterol” in 1815 by chemist Eugene Chevreul.
- Because cholesterol is oil-based and blood is water-based, cholesterol is packaged as minuscule protein particles called lipoproteins to be able to circulate without forming a lump.
- Cholesterol looks like a waxy substance that had been scraped from a whitish-yellow candle. It is produced in the liver or intestines. A human liver produces about 1 gram of cholesterol per day.
- In most people, about two-thirds of cholesterol is carried in LDL particles, which are considered “bad” cholesterol. LDL carries the cholesterol to all parts of the body and becomes “bad” if there is too much in the body in which case, it starts depositing cholesterol into the blood vessels, the process called atherosclerosis.
- Rest high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are labeled “good” cholesterol because they have more protein than fat and, instead of ferrying cholesterol around the body HDL sucks up as much excess cholesterol as it can and takes it back to the liver.
- The cholesterol in breast milk helps build nerve tissue in an infant’s growing brain. Breastfed babies have lower levels of cholesterol than adults.
- The U.S. Human Genome Project linked a pregnant woman’s cholesterol deficiency to a defect in the fetal brain called HPE (the failure of the brain to divide normally into two halves). 99 % of embryos with HPE are spontaneously aborted. Those who do live usually die within the first year of life experiencing severe mental retardation. Pregnant women are often advised not to take cholesterol-lowering drugs.
- One large egg contains about 185 mg of cholesterol all contained in the yolk.
- It is recommended to take about 300 mg. of cholesterol per day. If you have high cholesterol, you should take no more than 200 mg per day.
- Total cholesterol level (the combination of “good” HDL cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol) is usually 140 to 200 mg/dL. More than 200 mg/dL is considered to be unhealthy. Nearly half of all American adults have a cholesterol level at or more than 200 mg/dL. “High” cholesterol is defined as 240 mg. per deciliter (mg/dL) and above.
- Total LDL bad cholesterol level is usually 100 to 130 mg/dL. More than 160 mg/dL is considered to be high.
- Total HDL good cholesterol level is usually 40 to 60 mg/dL. Less than 40 mg/dL is considered to be unhealthy.
- Amazingly high cholesterol itself typically does not have any symptoms, so many people are unaware they are at risk. All adults should check for cholesterol every 5 years.
- Chicken is typically a low-fat meal choice but keeping the skin on the chicken or frying it turns it into a high cholesterol food.
- A McDonald’s Big Mac has 85 mg. of cholesterol and a Wendy’s Classic Double With Everything has 175 mg. of cholesterol.
- Liver although iron-rich has high levels of cholesterol. Three ounces of cooked liver contains 330 mg. of cholesterol.
- Brain tissue in general is unhealthy to eat because it is high in cholesterol and fat.
- High cholesterol is directly linked to heart disease, which is the number one killer of men and women in the world. Each year, over one million Americans have heart attacks and approximately half of them die.
- Before menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men due to estrogen which helps keep cholesterol levels down. After menopause, LDL levels tend to rise due to low estrogen.
- Reduced blood flow caused by high cholesterol has also been linked to sexual disorders due to fatty deposits that clog blood vessels in the pelvic area, causing erectile dysfunction in men and impacting lubrication in women.
- High cholesterol can be genetic. In fact, an inherited genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia causes very high LDL cholesterol levels, even at a young age.
- It has been documented that smoking and diabetes lowers good cholesterol (HDL) and raises bad cholesterol (LDL).
- Low cholesterol levels have been associated with higher rates of suicide, violence, Alzheimer’s, and accidents because it plays a critical role in neuron signaling and brain structure. An Ohio State study shows that increasing cholesterol levels can help ease autism symptoms in children.
- Major risk factors that increase high LDL levels include cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol (below 40 mg/dL), family history of early heart disease, obesity, and age (men: 45 years or older, women: 55 years or older).
- Foods that lower cholesterol is high fiber foods like kidney beans, apple, pear, etc, fishes having high omega-3 fatty acids like herring, sardines, mackerel, salmon, etc, foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids like walnuts, almonds, and other nuts, olive oil, foods containing sterols (Stanols) like margarine, orange juice, yogurt with added plant sterols, etc.
- Cholesterol is found in animal products that are high in saturated fat. Foods high in cholesterol are egg yolk, liver, butter, shrimp & caviar (Fish Roe).
- Regular exercise lowers LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels. At least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise are recommended.
- There are 7 different classes of drugs to reduce cholesterol levels. They are Statins, Bile acid-binding resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitor, and statin, Fibrates, Niacin, and Omega-3 fatty acids.
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